System to demonstrate and sell computer programs
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A vending system for retailing at least one computer program comprising:
- a retailed computer program;
a transmitting unit including means for repetitively transmitting said retailed computer program;
a medium of transmission comprising cable television cable, said transmission medium being in communication with said transmitting unit and carrying said retained computer program repetitively transmitted by said transmitting unit, said transmission medium simultaneously carrying other signals comprising television signals;
a plurality of computing devices located in domiciles, each of said computing devices including a receiver in communication with said transmission medium, each of said receivers being able to access and receive said retailed computer program repetitively transmitted by said transmitting unit through said transmission medium, and each of said computing devices comprising a processing section able to execute said retailed computer program to provide trail use of said retailed computer program to users of said computing devices in their domiciles, said trial use providing full use of said retailed computer-program;
a vending program transmitted through said transmission medium to said computing devices, each of said computing devices being able to execute said vending program to provide means for said users of said computing devices to purchase reusable copies of said retailed computer program in their domiciles, said reusable copies of said retailed computer program being adapted for use on one of said computing devices; and
said vending system including means to prohibit unauthorized duplication of said retailed computer program.
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Abstract
Centralized broadcast of a plurality of computer programs through a point to multipoint communications medium to a plurality of computers able to select, receive and execute computer programs from within said plurality of computer programs. Computer programs to facilitate the purchase of one or more computer programs from within the plurality of computer programs, and the computer programs to facilitate purchase being transmitted through the point to multipoint communications medium.
440 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A vending system for retailing at least one computer program comprising:
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a retailed computer program; a transmitting unit including means for repetitively transmitting said retailed computer program; a medium of transmission comprising cable television cable, said transmission medium being in communication with said transmitting unit and carrying said retained computer program repetitively transmitted by said transmitting unit, said transmission medium simultaneously carrying other signals comprising television signals; a plurality of computing devices located in domiciles, each of said computing devices including a receiver in communication with said transmission medium, each of said receivers being able to access and receive said retailed computer program repetitively transmitted by said transmitting unit through said transmission medium, and each of said computing devices comprising a processing section able to execute said retailed computer program to provide trail use of said retailed computer program to users of said computing devices in their domiciles, said trial use providing full use of said retailed computer-program; a vending program transmitted through said transmission medium to said computing devices, each of said computing devices being able to execute said vending program to provide means for said users of said computing devices to purchase reusable copies of said retailed computer program in their domiciles, said reusable copies of said retailed computer program being adapted for use on one of said computing devices; and said vending system including means to prohibit unauthorized duplication of said retailed computer program. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A vending system for selling computer programs comprising:
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a retailed computer program; a transmitting unit for repetitively transmitting said retailed computer program; a medium of transmission, said transmission medium being in communication with said transmitting unit, and said transmission medium carrying said retailed computer program repetitively transmitted by said transmitting unit; a computing device in communication with said transmission medium, said computing device including receiving apparatus to receive said retailed computer program from said transmission medium and having processing apparatus able to execute said retailed computer program repetitively transmitted through said transmitting medium, said computing device being located in a domicile to provide trial use of said retailed computer program to a user of said computing device in the user'"'"'s domicile, said trial use providing complete use of said retailed computer program; a vending program transmitted through said transmission medium to said computing device, said computing device being able to execute said vending program to provide means for said user of said computing device to purchase reusable copies of said retailed computer program in the user'"'"'s domicile; and said vending system including means to prohibit unauthorized duplication of said retailed computer program. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of protecting demonstrated retailed computer programs from unauthorized duplication comprising the steps of:
repetitively transmitting a retailed computer program through one-way media to a computing device, such that said computing device executes routines in said retailed computer program and a user of said computing devices has full use of said retailed computer program, and such that said computing device at no single time has a true, accurate and complete copy of said retailed computer program within said computing device, thereby preventing unauthorized duplication of said retailed computer program by eliminating the presence within said computing device, at any single time, of a true, accurate and complete copy of said retailed computer program. - View Dependent Claims (14)
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15. A method of protecting demonstrated retailed computer programs from unauthorized duplication comprising the steps of:
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transmitting primary data comprising a retailed computer program through one-way media to a computing device in communication with said one-way media and said computing device executing routines in said retailed computer program, at least one of said routines in said retailed computer program requiring additional data to be correctly executed, and after said computing service has commenced executing at least one of said routines, accessing said primary data carried by said one-way media to obtain said additional data, thereby providing full use of said retailed computer program, whereby unauthorized duplication of said retailed computer program is prevented by the at least one routine within said retailed computer program, in order to be correctly executed, requiring data obtained by accessing additional data carried by said one-way media.
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16. A method to protect demonstrated retailed computer programs from unauthorized duplication comprising the steps of:
repetitively transmitting data to a computing device through a one-way media, executing a retailed computer program with said computing device, said computing device being in communication with said media while executing said retailed computer program, said retailed computer program requiring said computing device to communicate with said media to correctly execute said computer program to thereby provide full use of said retailed computer program while said computing device is in communication with said media, and to prevent unauthorized duplication of said retailed computer program by requiring communication with said media during execution of said retailed computer program in order to correctly execute said retailed computer program.
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17. Apparatus to provide education coordinated between a student'"'"'s home and a student'"'"'s school, comprising:
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a computer program having educational content; a one-way medium of transmission; a transmitting unit in communication with said medium, said transmitting unit repetitively transmitting said computer program through said medium; a plurality of computing devices, at least one of said computing devices being located in a school, and at least one of said computing devices being located in a home of a student attending said school, said plurality of computing devices being in communication with said medium, and each of said computing devices having apparatus to receive transmission from said medium and having apparatus to execute said computer program transmitted through said medium, so that a student may receive education coordinated between the student'"'"'s home and school by using said transmitted computer program having educational content on the computing device located in the student'"'"'s home, and again by using said transmitted computer program having educational content on the computing device located in the student'"'"'s school; and said apparatus providing full use of said computer program in the student'"'"'s home and the student'"'"'s school and said apparatus including means for preventing unauthorized duplication of said computer program. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification